Bar Municipality is located on the coastal western border of Montenegro on the shore of the Adriatic Sea. It is approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi) from Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. To the east is the largest lake in the Balkans, Lake Skadar. To the west, across the sea, is Italy.^[3]

The natural area around Bar is mostly untouched and is rich in vegetation. The municipality stretches to the southern shore of Skadar lake and encompasses Krajina region. This area is visited for its leisure activities and hiking. Smaller settlements near Bar, such as Dobra Voda, Sutomore and Čanj, are a destination for sunbathing, as they incorporate long sandy beaches.

Beaches edit

The municipality has over 44 kilometres (27 miles) of sea coast. There are twenty beaches stretching over 9 kilometres (6 miles). In the north is Čanj, which has a 1,100-metre (3,600-foot) sandy beach. A boat takes tourists from Čanj to the Kraljičina Plaža (the Queen's beach). It lies below a natural wall of sedimentary rock. Further south is 300-metre-long (980-foot) Maljevik Beach. The beach at Sutomore, 1,200 metres (3,900 feet) long, has entertainments, activities and restaurants. Near the medieval monastery complex of Ratac is Crvena Plaža (the Red beach), named after the colour of its fine sand. The beach is surrounded by a pine forest and located about a hundred m from the main road to Bar. The Bar city beach is located in front of King Nikola I's palace. It is 750 metres (2,460 feet) long, part pebble and part sand.

There are also beaches on the shore of Lake Skadar.

Flora and fauna edit

The coastal part of Bar supports maquis shrubland with oak, holm oak, laurel, myrtle, Spanish broom, oleander, hawthorn, sloe, thorn, butcher's broom, and asparagus. To the north and the mountains, there are oak and beech forests. Citrus fruits including tangerine, orange, and lemon grow in the Bar area as do pomegranates, olives, grapevines, and figs. Ginkgo biloba grows in the park of King Nikola's palace. Skadar Lake is rich in birdlife including the pelican. Game animals are found in Ostros, Rumija, Lisinj, Sutorman, and Sozina and include rabbit, badger, fox, wolf, and boar. At the Bar seashore one finds various kinds of shells, snails, echinodermata, cephalopoda and crayfish.

Divisions and settlements edit

The municipality consists of 77 settlements, four of which, Bar, Stari Bar, Sutomore and Virpazar are urban, while the rest are rural or suburban. The municipality is divided into 12 local communities (mjesna zajednica): Topolica (part of Bar), Polje, Bjeliši, Burtaiši, Sutorman, Stari Bar, Šušanj, Sutomore, Mrkojevići, Krajina, Šestan and Crmnica.^[4] A census in 2011 recorded 42,048 people in the Bar Municipality.

Historic population:

Ethnicity edit

Ethnic composition of the municipality in 2011:

Religion edit

The main religion in Bar is Orthodox Christianity. However, there are churches from both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions as well as mosques built by Ottomans in the Islamic tradition. Bar is the birthplace of Saint Jovan Vladimir. In 1089, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar, was founded and included most of Montenegro and Serbia.

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  City of Bar, Montenegro
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  "Olea europea”, a 2000 year old tree.
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  Rumija Mounthain and Skadar Lake
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  Sutomore
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  Virpazar near Lake Skadar
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  Queen's Beach near Čanj
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  Church of St. Jovan Vladimir, Bar in Bar
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  Bar Aqueduct